


1984

by 89LOSVER



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: First Kiss, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Sad Ending, Secret Crush, Teenagers, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 00:51:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18297095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/89LOSVER/pseuds/89LOSVER
Summary: Rhett and Link's game of truth or dare goes awry.





	1984

**They met in 1984.**

 

“What are ya in for?” a little voice asked.

“I wrote hell on my desk.”

“I wrote,” the boy looked around hesitantly and shrugged before whispering: “damn. I dunno why I even got in trouble. I think I spelled it wrong.”

They both laughed.

“I’m Rhett,” the taller of the two said.

“I’m Link,” said the brunette. He held out a tiny hand for his new friend to shake, “Wanna come spend the night at my house?”

“Ain’t that a little fast?”

“No way. We’re gonna be best friends.”

If only they knew…

 

*******

 

The winter wind whirled outside as snow blanketed the streets of Buies Creek. North Carolina had been getting an unusual amount of blizzards that year, prompting two long-legged boys to stay inside during winter break despite wanting to do anything but.

“Parents should be back soon,” Rhett mumbled, hand under his chin as he stared out the living room window. Link was preoccupied with the marathon of Full House playing on the small, square T.V. in front of him, so all he did was shrug and nod his head.

“You’re really watching that, man?” Rhett plopped down on the sofa next to his friend.

“Nothin’ else ta do, really.”

“We could play a game.”

Link shot his eyes to the side and furrowed his brows, “A game?”

“I dunno, like, twenty questions or somethin’.”

“Kinda girly.”

“Kinda stereotypical,” Rhett rolled his eyes.

The brunette immediately noticed his companion’s frustration, so he decided to play along, “Truth or dare?”

Rhett smiled back at him, “That’s more like it.”

“You can go first.”

“Deal. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“Alright, uhh. I dare you to go outside in the snow.”

“Man, that’s weak.”

“You didn’t even let me add the word ‘naked’ to the end,” Rhett winked.

Link did nothing in reply but laugh and shake his head. Butterflies filled his friend’s stomach at the sight. That had happened a lot. It never happened when a girl touched his arm or flipped her strawberry scented hair in his direction. It only happened with Link. When he smiled or giggled or looked over at his friend with piercing blue eyes. Rhett tried to ignore his feelings but that was like trying to fill a strainer with sand. Impossible.

“You know I ain’t gonna do that. Truth or-?”

“Truth,” Rhett interrupted.

“Okay, okay. Umm,” Link looked around. He knew what he **_wanted_ ** to ask. He wanted to know if he made his friend’s heart stop when he walked into a room. He wanted to know if he was at the forefront of all of Rhett’s dreams. He had always wanted to know if his feelings were mutual. Bringing all of that up, though, would probably only scare Rhett off. Forgiving himself after that would be like trying to walk on water. Impossible.

“You have a crush on someone. True?”

Rhett thought for a moment, “True,” he shook his head yes, “truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“You have a crush on someone, too. True?”

“Yeah, I do.”

They both looked around the room for a moment, tension rising and emotions becoming exposed. Link gulped and asked again, “Truth or dare?”

The game continued effortlessly. The two boys went back and forth sharing truths they had never told a soul and doing dares they had never dreamed of. Link made Rhett eat a raw egg for one of his dares and Rhett made Link confess that he did, in fact, use his left hand just as often as he did his right.

As the night settled in on Buies Creek, Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin were nowhere in sight and hadn’t even given a call with details about their whereabouts. Link decided his friend’s family would not be home any time soon, thus giving him the courage to open up the game to things he had always wanted to explore.

“Okay man, pick truth. I have a good one,” the short one smiled cheekily.

“Truth,” laughed the taller one.

“Your crush..," he looked down, "has blue eyes. True?”

Rhett was somewhat shocked but did not hesitate, “Yes he- yes, they do. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to tell me who it is. Your crush, I mean.”

“What if I can’t?” Link furrowed his brows in worry.

“Then I get to ask another.”

“Okay. Truth this time.”

“Fine. You’re nervous. True?”

“Very.”

“Why?”

“That’s not a part of the game, Rhett.”

“I don’t think this is a game anymore.”

Link knew that much. He thought that maybe he had gotten a little too brave. Ignoring Rhett’s comment anyway, he asked for the hundredth time that night: “Truth or dare?”

The blonde sighed and rolled his eyes, “Dare, I guess.”

“I dare you to tell me who you like.”

“You got to skip that one?”

“And you don’t.”

Rhett pursed his lips to the side in deep thought, “Can I answer your question by giving you a dare?”

“Yes, but only because I’m intrigued with how that’s going to work.”

That’s when the world changed. It was like the snow began to fall in slow motion and the moon quit rising and everyone knew that nothing would be the same after that moment. The two sat in agonizing silence, Rhett thinking and Link waiting, the only sound amid them being their own heartbeats and heavy breathing.

“I dare you to kiss me.”

Link didn’t have time to think before he was inching toward his friend, tall and looming and much more endearing than he had always seemed from afar. They had never gotten that close. Not during all the wrestling matches or I’m dead moves or secret car rides to the backwoods in the middle of the night. That was a different kind of close. That was love.

Nothing could stop Rhett from reaching his hand up to cup the side of Link’s face and nothing could stop Link from kissing Rhett with all of the passion the world had to offer. Their mouths danced and their minds raced and nothing could stop them from sinking deeper and deeper into each other.

Not the sound of a key in the front door.

Not the sound of footsteps walking to the living room.

Not the sound of Diane McLaughlin gasping and Jim McLaughlin exclaiming “oh god!”

Not until it was too late.

Although both boys felt that they had parted too soon, they couldn’t help but wonder if they had made the biggest mistake of their lives. They looked at each other in horror as Rhett’s mom dropped to her knees and began sobbing. His father went into a blind rage - screaming as many cuss words as he could think of and sprinkling in derogatory words he had no right to say.

Rhett squeezed Link’s hand as they both held back tears.

 

**They met in 1984**

**They don’t really talk anymore.**

**Author's Note:**

> i'm back! this story is based off of an old fic of mine that is written really poorly. a lot different than my last but i really like it. i hope you enjoyed! feedback is much appreciated :) love you


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